NFL will review Jim Tressel’s status with Colts

Posted by Mike Florio on September 3, 2011, 5:25 PM EDT

AP

On Friday, Colts coach Jim Caldwell said that former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel had been hired to assist on game days with the question of whether calls made on the field by officials will be challenged. A source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that the move was made without the approval of the league office, and that the league office must approve the hire before it becomes final.

Per the source, Commissioner Roger Goodell will take a hard look at the situation, reviewing all relevant facts and circumstances, to determine whether Tressel should be able to do what former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor wasn’t permitted to do — immediately join the NFL for the start of the 2011 regular season.

It’s not a question of “if” the league will allow Tressel to work for the Colts, but “when.” Pryor will miss the first five games of his rookie regular season due to issues regarding the manner in which he became eligible for the supplemental draft. Though the league has been careful not to call the move a suspension, the decision to defer Pryor’s eligibility by five games matches the suspension imposed by the NCAA, causing many to conclude that the NFL has decided to assist the NCAA with the enforcement of its own rules.

In Tressel’s case, the league faces a tricky decision. Notions of fairness and consistency require the league to treat Tressel, who resigned from Ohio State under duress after admitting that he failed to share with the NCAA information regarding activities that jeopardized the eligibility of Pryor and other players, the same way that it treated Pryor. By delaying Tressel’s entry to the NFL, the league would be bolstering the perception that overt favors are now being done for the curators of the free farm system.

The question doesn’t become relevant until the Colts submit Tressel’s contract for approval by the league office. It hasn’t happened yet. Once it does, Tressel’s fate will be in the Commissioner’s hands.

Until then, cast your vote as to whether Tressel should get the same treatment as Terrelle.

Again, Pryor wouldn’t have been eligible under NFL rules to enter supplemental draft since he was still eligible to play his senior year after the 5 game suspension and withdrew from the school on his own. that was a little deal to allow him in. Coaches don’t have the same rules as players to come into NFL. apples and oranges.

If they tried to work around the system they should be punished. If sitting out some games is what they the NFL feels is a good punishment then that’s what they should do. I honestly could care less though.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the issue with Prior was that he should have been INELIGIBLE for the entire supplemental draft process.

The process was meant to be for players who were in an unforseen circumstance. The fact that Prior’s NCAA suspension was not “unforseen” because he was the one that caused the violation, he technically shouldn’t be allowed into the supplemental draft.

Rather than banning him from the supplemental draft altogether, Godell gave him the 5 game “suspension” because he blured the lines of coming into the NFL because of his scenario.

On the other hand, there is no scenario where NCAA coaches have to “declare” to become an NFL coach. To suspend Tressel would literally be a rule made up out of thin air. The Pryor suspension was at least based off of his “eligibility” status with the NFL draft. There is no such thing for coaches.

LOL.. Welcome to the world of scandal sweater vest boy. I hate OSU. He should sit 10 games since he should have known better than to let Pryor play. The funny thing is he could have won without Pryor. That makes him really stupid. SEC Rules anyway. In the big 10, Go Nebraska show them what real football is all about.

@kd75
I don’t like the Buckeyes but no one held a gun to his head. They should have both been held accountable, not just Pryor. Grown men make their own decisions and Tressel made the wrong one. That’s what’s wrong with this great country, no accountability. Make him sit.

Go ahead an thumbs down that all you Buckeyes fans…
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That’s idiotic. Tressel learned what was going on over a year ago, and he did nothing about it. Then when it came to light in November, not only did he not own up to knowing about it, he flat out lied and said that he didn’t.

Listen, I hate Pryor as much as anyone, but selling/trading memorabillia for tattooes would have gotten OSU a slap on the wrist. You’re head coach knowing about it, and worse yet, lying to the NCAA about it, is what’s going to get the school in trouble.

Whenever I type OSU I have to apologize to Oklahoma, the real OSU. Go to Arena Football Tressel. They don’t watch the rules there as much. Or I should say it’s not “front page news” just like Ohio State now. LOL..

As far as NFL draft eligibility, King Goodell apparently said he qualified because he didn’t want to have to disallow athletes. The suspension was to punish him, one way or the other. Many guys over the years came into the supplemental draft for flunking out, becoming ineligible after the regular draft (like Pryor), and for other shortcomings. His coach, who knew of all this and didn’t turn his kids in, has to also pay his price.

Honestly, I think he should be allowed to go to an NFL team even after all this crap at OS, but, I do believe that if Pryor is supposed to be suspended for 5 games, then Tressel should too, although I understand that there are no rules to make this happen.
I just think fair is fair and maybe someone should start making rules fair. Tressel looked the other way, how is he not as guilty? And I’m a Buckeye fan.

Gee, um what happened to Pete Carrol? And, oh yeah, the Cable guy, was he not getting in trouble for breaking an ass. coach’s jaw yet,……never got suspended? Can’t have it both ways, can’t suspend JT if you did nothing vs. Carrol or Cable. But, then again, inconsistency thy name is the NFL, so …..whatever.

Tressel lost his job with one company and now another company wants to hire him. How can somebody be suspended for what they did with another company with their new company? Its the Colts who are hiring him,not the league. The Colts know his past and they want to offer the guy a job, paying him for his services.

The league can dictate to the teams who their staff is comprised of? Isn’t that preventing the Colts from trying to improve their organization?

The league is now going to uphold NCAA penalties? So, is Reggie going to be suspended,now? Do you think the Dolphins would go along with that after brining him in? If Cam is found out to have violated rules, do you think Jerry Richardson will go along with the Panthers having to sit their starting QB for games, for what he did in college? They drafted him knowing he might have done something wrong, his character didn”t matter. They drafted him hoping he can win games for the Panthers.

If in college they are playing with NFL conduct rules in place, shouldn’t these kids get paid by the league, since the NFL is grooming them.

How long was Pete Carroll’s suspension? Tressel should get the same.
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Right. Just like when a student athlete changes schools he must wait a year, meanwhile coaches can skip from job to job. Sounds fair, just like the BCS.

How he got some cushy job when he was shown to be a liar and cover up artist is beyond me. I hope we don’t have to see his picture on the tube and all the announcers just oooh and ahhh on what a class man he is and such a gentleman.. he has shown Ohio State and fans he was far from it. Sometimes the way you dress isn’t what type individual you are under the clothes.

Pryor and company committed the original violation by trying to pawn their merchandise for goods and services. They initially, from what I can tell, put Ohio State into a bad position.

Jim Tressel’s error was, upon learning of these violations, not just failing to report them but actively taking steps to conceal the violations. As is often said, the cover-up was worse than the crime itself.

Both Pryor and Tressel committed related but distinct violations of the NCAA rules and Goodell needs to decide PDQ whether or not he believes that it is the NFL’s job to enforce NCAA rules by suspending those that have violated them. If so, both Pryor and Tressel should sit and, it seems to me, an equal sentence is fair. If not, Goodell should rescind his decision to suspend Pryor and simply let the two of them play/coach (or whatever verb describes Jim Tressel’s proposed function with the Colts).